7. strange situation

• What shared behaviours did Ainsworth find that indicated attachment?

  - Exploration

  - Stranger Anxiety

  - Separation Anxiety

  - Response to Union with caregiver
• what's the first stage of the strange situation?

  mother and infant enter the room (controlled observation using a two way mirror allowing psychologists to see how the child behaves)

  
  

  mother sits on one of the chairs and reads magazine. child is on the floor exploring the toys
• what's the second stage of the strange situation?

  a stranger enters and sits on the second chair talking to the mother
• what's the third stage of the strange situation?

  stranger approaches the infant and attempts to interact with the infant by playing
• what's the fourth stage of the strange situation?

  mother leaves the room

  
  

  stranger comforts the baby if they are upset and offers to play with them
• what's the 5th stage of the strange situation?

  mother returns and stranger leaves
• what's the 6th stage of the strange situation?

  mothers leaves again leaving the baby alone in the room
• what's the 7th stage of the strange situation?

  stranger re enters and offers comfort and play with the baby
• what's the 8th stage of the strange situation?

  the mother returns and the stranger leaves
• what were the results of the strange situation?

  found different types of attachments:

  - type a: insecure avoidant

  - type b: secure

  - type c: insecure resistant
• what percentage of infants were type a insecure avoidant?

  22%
• What is insecure-avoidant attachment?

  exploration: does not return to mother or use her as a safe base

  
  

  low separation anxiety

  low stranger anxiety - shows little preference

  shows little reaction to reunion with mother, ignores her does not seek proximity nor show joy/intimacy
• what percentage of infants were type b secure?

  66%
• what is secure attachment?

  exploration: returns to mother in regular intervals, uses her as a safe base

  
  

  moderate separation anxiety

  moderate stranger anxiety - wary of stranger, moving closer to mother

  
  

  during reunion infant is pleased to see mother, seeks proximity and is easily comforted
• what percentage of infants were insecure resistant?

  12%
• what is insecure resistant attachment?

  exploration: does not explore environment, clingy around mother

  
  

  high separation anxiety

  high stranger anxiety

  
  

  during reunion infant is not easily comforted by mother, seeks but rejects attempts of mothers comfort
• Evaluation - strengths

  - higher inter observer reliability = research is highly operationalised, several observers watching and coding the same behaviour and agreeing on attachment classifications. Because of this observers have a clear view of for example how a securely attached infant should behave due to Ainsworths criteria

  
  

  - highly controlled observation so easily replicated with the same results obtained

  
  

  - standard diagnostic tool used to measure the strength and type of relationships between mother and infant

  
  

  - high generalisability as it's been replicated by many cultures
• evaluation: weaknesses

  - Low ecological validity = experiment was conducted in a controlled observation - infant may be unfamiliar with surroundings so more likely distressed

  
  

  - categories not always applicable (nomothetic) (main and cassidy 1998) suggested that infants do not all fit into the 3 categories introduced by ainsworth or may not at all. They found another type of attachment (disorganised)

  
  

  - culturally biased = SS was conducted in the USA. criteria used to criticise infants are based on US values e.g Japanese children were seen more as insecure resistant (spent most of their time with mother) whereas german infants were insecure avoidant (germans value independence)

  
  

  - observation was a snapshot of behaviour, not taking into consideration of other factors like child's relationship with other family members or behaviour in familiar environments